Tower of Judecca
by CalicoKitten
Summary: A talk about heaven and hell takes place in the pause of battling Judecca.


Disclaimer: Wild Arms 2 doesn't belong to me. This story grew out of the link between  
the four evil subordinates and the deepest circles described by Dante.  
Slight Judecca/Ashley.  
  
Tower of Judecca  
  
By CalicoKitten  
  
Reflecting off the glossy, ebony walls, the few sources of light within the chamber flickered with the harsh sounds of battle. The floor matched the walls with its lambent appearance, creating shadows of the two figures sparring across its waxed and slippery surface. The sounds of the duel reverberated throughout the large, high-domed room, and it was in contrast to the gentle wind outside. Up high, the topmost chamber of Judecca Tower resembled the other three Pillars in structure and content.  
  
The two combatants paused in their battle, both breathing heavily. The blue-haired one cast a worried look over his shoulder, looking to the safety of his two fallen comrades. Physically intimidating, the large, dark-skinned man who lay unconscious carried ARMs, but they proved useless when he had jumped in front of his third comrade, the brown- haired boy who wore a yellow poncho. Heroic effort aside, the young boy soon left the battle with a carefully aimed shot fired by their opponent.  
  
A clear tenor voice, though spoken softly, resonated throughout the battlefield, startling the blue-haired bayonet wielder out of his momentary concern for the others.  
  
"I see that you're already tired. Why don't you just give up, Winchester?"  
  
Ashley risked the chance and dropped out of a fighting stance, resting the blade of his weapon on the ground and leaning on it for support. "I don't see you faring any better, Judecca."  
  
Sending a depreciating smile towards Ashley, Judecca smirked, gesturing widely to the unmoving Brad and Tim. He said simply but egotistically, "I've already beaten two of you. Why do you think you can take me by yourself?"  
  
"Because I have to," came the soft reply. And it was up to him, for he had sent Lilka and the others to the town of Quartly on the urgent request for protection against the growing monster horde. ARMs was split, and he couldn't rouse his teammates and protect them against Judecca's accurate shot at the same time.  
  
In relief, he saw Judecca lower his own rifle to the ground, taking advantage of the breach in battle. His eyes mirrored his own - cautious and attentive to alert the body should his opponent attack without warning. They dispelled any hope of reviving his friends inconspicuously, and at his current level of exhaustion, he could think of no other plan.  
  
Carefully, he reached into his pocket and winced as a cut on his shoulder spilled more red liquid. He felt Judecca's eyes narrow at the action, and in rapid succession, he withdrew two heal berries, rolling one over to Judecca to prevent being fired upon.  
  
Siegfried's advocate appeared ready to blast the medicine to pieces before realizing what it was. Still uncertain, he regarded Ashley, who rubbed some of the juice from the restorative into his wound before eating the rest. Sniffing it warily, he finally relented to the sharp pain in his side - ironically caused by the other - and applied some liquid to it before also consuming the berry.  
  
"Why did you offer such a curative to me?" he asked the ARMs leader. "Battling the devil's advocate on his own turf - do you think it'll help you leave alive? No one ever leaves the lowest pit of hell unscathed."  
  
Ignoring the faint tingling sensation of the item's potency, Ashley replied, "I only gave it to you so I wouldn't be shot using one myself. An eye for an eye."  
  
"Or a poor excuse for an attempt at an aphorism," Judecca scoffed. "Typical. Man's nature is entirely selfish. It's a wonder why there aren't more people burning in the dark - it's quite disturbing, really."  
  
"I don't think you're one to comment"  
  
"Aren't I?" The silver head shook patronizingly. "My dear Winchester, I lead the pack down there."  
  
He turned around, deliberately leaving his back unprotected as he placed a hand on the cold surface of the wall. Running thin fingers up and down the glossy stone, he tilted his head, appraising Ashley with a distant yet observant gaze.  
  
"Isn't it ironic? These walls, though cold, contrast with my icy walls at home. The color, for one thing. The height above ground, another."  
  
Not understanding the meaning of his words, Ashley chose to remain silent, listening intently to the villain who had just felled his friends.  
  
"Don't you get it? This is the last place for you, boy. Here in Judecca, those who sin the worst reside here."  
  
The distant look was gone, replaced by one akin to madness. He pinned Ashley with the unbalanced stare, and he unconsciously took a step backward. Gripping the handle of his bayonet none too gently, he forced his hand to relax, upholding the unspoken peace barrier between the two.  
  
He couldn't help but become irate at those words as he considered the events and motivation leading up to this encounter, and he spat, "You think you know who I am? For one who talks about sin, you're throwing me into your class without basis for judgment."  
  
"I judge myself as I would judge you," Judecca replied, resting his whole body flat against the wall. "Though you do have a valid point about false accusations, if they were truly false. But Judecca is the end of hell, and I can't climb any lower."  
  
"What makes you believe I'll stoop down to your level? Death and destruction aren't on my agenda."  
  
Judecca laughed harshly, the guttural noise eerie in owning the silence. Raking his nails up and down the smooth surface of the wall, he didn't seem to mind the possibility of breaking the brittle enamel and shedding the red fluid within.  
  
"My dear boy, death and destruction are only a few of the sins of hell. The worst kind? No, but arguably so. My sin ranks lowest - or is it the highest?"  
  
Flinching imperceptibly, Ashley asked, "And just what 'sin' could this be?"  
  
"Oh yes, you want the name of this sin," Judecca sighed, appearing slightly disappointed in his opponent. "Haven't you figured it out yet? The sentence of this realm is for those who betray their benefactors - masters, in the bluntest of terms."  
  
"Don't give me lies." Irritation flowed through the ARMs leader at the answer. "Betrayal is ambiguous, especially with conditions."  
  
At his words, delight that matched Ashley's annoyance sprang to Judecca's eyes. He stopped clawing the wall with his hands, looking at them instead. "Exactly what I thought, my dear. I mean, who would blame me for wanting to take Siegfried's place, eh? It's not like I chose this gig; payment's a bitch, too - never comes. Why be punished eternally for a sin less than my 'Master's'?"  
  
Disregarding the rhetorical question, Ashley watched in morbid fascination at the tiny streams of blood running down the other man's hands. Flowing together, the weight made crimson droplets fall from his arm.  
  
"Don't you see your part in this?" Judecca spoke softly, gazing intensely at the bayonet wielder. "Your benefactor - Valeria - is going to be betrayed someday by you."  
  
The last two enunciated words broke through Ashley's daze and, leaving his weapon, he rushed towards Judecca, roughly pushing him to the wall with an arm against his throat.  
  
"Are you trying to provoke me?" Ashley hissed, anger flaring as Judecca simply regarded him quietly. "I would never betray ARMs, bastard!"  
  
"Did I say ARMs, Winchester?" Judecca asked, raising a thin eyebrow slightly. "I said Valeria. You're going to turn against him. Maybe not of your own conviction, but his, yet it'll still be on your head. Killing the benefactor, despite the conditions, constitutes an eternity in the wasteland of Judecca."  
  
"Shut up!" Ashley growled, clutching at his head with his free hand. "Stop telling me this nonsense!"  
  
In a flash, Judecca removed himself from Ashley's loosened grip, grabbing the blue-haired warrior's wrists and pinning him to the wall instead. He leaned in close to Ashley's face, snarling, "It's not nonsense! Do you know what torture Hell inflicts for this sin? Distortion of the limbs in ice!"  
  
His fingers clenched at the words, and Ashley winced as the grip on his wrists tightened painfully. Judecca continued, "Your body isn't even your own anymore! Instead, it's just twisted like a plaything, showing you that your body and soul weren't yours before or after death!"  
  
The eyes boring into Ashley's own hardened noticeably. "Isn't it ironic? They preach about life and liberty as natural rights, but in essence, it's a load of shit when you compare it to my circle of hell!"  
  
Despite the position he was in, Ashley could see Judecca's point of view. He pushed it to the back of his mind, remembering instead the other man's comrades. Vaguely, he wondered if Judecca knew that the other three Pillars had been destroyed.  
  
"Of course I know of the other towers!" Judecca spat harshly, seeming to be reading Ashley's mind. "Why do you think Caina had a key for a weapon? Is it not fate that you went to fight her first? She was the key to the others!"  
  
Ashley opened his mouth to protest, but Judecca placed a hand over it, effectively preventing speech while maintaining his hold on one wrist.  
  
Ignoring the slight surprise and movement in Ashley's form, he moved his lips down to his ear, nearly touching it as he whispered, "It's all ambiguous, you know. Judgment is always biased. We don't deserve to have our own regions of hell; our sins are compared to someone else's version of righteousness. People, like us, who are different.well, we don't receive much leniency, do we?"  
  
Punctuating the end of his speech, he tilted his head down and flicked his tongue out, tracing the outside curves of Ashley's ear. In response, Ashley's eyes widened, and with his free hand, he managed to roughly shove Judecca away with a burst of energy.  
  
"What the hell?" Ashley gasped, his hand clutching his ear protectively. He tensed to move if Judecca came any closer, but he remained at the distance Ashley had pushed him.  
  
"Watch your tongue, dear boy," he advised smugly, licking his lips like a predator watching his prey. "Don't use the homeland name in vain."  
  
He smiled unnervingly at Ashley, who involuntarily flinched. "Of course, each sin is individualized, though it's collectivized for the whole. Who's to say whether it's wrong or not? All opinion, you see."  
  
"Why do you think I belong here, then?" he responded, still shaken and clutching his ear.  
  
"As I said, the whole judgment process groups you in categories, and that's that. Truthfully - well, in my opinion at least - you shouldn't be here. You taste too pure."  
  
A rustle of clothes caught their attention, and with a quickness bordering on paranoia, both men whipped their heads around towards the source. Tim stirred, causing yet another noise in the expanse. Judecca dismissed him with a single arched eyebrow and, ignoring the boy completely, he turned back to Ashley.  
  
"Ashley dear, I think we should get this party on the road." He gestured towards the other's discarded bayonet on the floor while heading to his own weapons. "Wouldn't want to miss your date in hell, hmm?"  
  
Ashley was too happy to retrieve his weapon. He noticed that Judecca had already pocketed his pistols, and with a great leap, he snatched his bayonet off the floor, rolling into a defensive position once the rapid firing ceased.  
  
"Bastard," he hissed, rubbing his aching shoulder.  
  
"No. Opportunist."  
  
He watched irritably as Judecca languidly deposited his empty ammo clip on the floor and replaced it with another. A tiny voice told him that it would be the perfect time to strike, but he had qualms about shooting an opponent when the battle was not yet called.  
  
"Winchester, you are just too honorable," Judecca laughed. "Even after I shot at you, you would still not fight me until this match is called. Dear boy, you're going to get killed with those virtues."  
  
He kicked the empty clip away with his foot and cocked the gun in Ashley's direction. "Well, Ashley Winchester, I believe we are now both ready for this to be over. What say you we decide here and now which one of us goes to hell and which remains in purgatory?"  
  
Ashley clutched his weapon defensively as he watched Judecca circle him. Gritting his teeth, he felt the foreboding wave of nausea hit him, and his stance straightened while his head pounded.  
  
"I'm sorry, but it's not going to be me," he answered as both the men, weapons poised to attack, shot simultaneously.  
  
One body fell to the ground. 


End file.
